Truly Dreadful Film

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Westerns that feature a cavalry theme don't hold much attraction for me but this one managed to hold my attention. It has an above average story by William Sackheim that helps - an above average and hard working cast, with above average photography by D.O.P. the Award nominated Charles P. Boyle (Anchors Aweigh '45)The DVD copy I was given by a friend is from the Umbrella series: Six Shooter Classics (they really must do something about that silly marketing title). Universal originally used the magnificent IB Technicolor process for this film but this disc is well below average (compared with Umbrella's earlier 'Tumble Weed' that looked perfect). Sound transfer is also below standard. Robert Sterling ('Roughshod' '49) is good as the Fort Commander, with good support from Ray Collins, Greg Palmer (Lee) and Joan Evans. Dennis Weaver does very well as the Indian chief with his motley Hollywood tribe. Music is mostly from the Universal stock library and offers little help. Audie Murphy is reliable as always in his way. Veteran director Frederick De Cordova keeps things moving and probably helped with the good dialogue (as he was known to do). Have certainly seen far worse.

Column South finds Audie Murphy as an army lieutenant in acting command at Fort Union in New Mexico. The new commander Captain Robert Sterling with his sister Joan Evans arrives to take over and he's a spit and polish short and his disposition ain't helped when he comes into the fort and sees a brawl going about politics. It's 1860 and the country is getting ready to divide sectionally.But it's still one army with a mission to keep the peace with the Navajo represented by Chief Dennis Weaver. But the growing divide may let the Indians conquer and Weaver is one smart and courageous warrior.In fact Weaver is the best one in the cast, the one who steals the film in every scene he's in. There's also a good performance by Ray Collins who is a visiting general with a big agenda all his own.Column South is a well done western with a good cast and a good story for this cast to perform. Definitely one of Audie Murphy's better westerns.

If I remember well, in this movie - and perhaps I confound with another Audie Murphy film directed by Nathan Juran: TUMBLEWEED, there is something very unusual in this little feature. In a sequence, the Indians are inside the fort and are attacked by US cavalry !!!Isn't it interesting? I watched it when I was a kid and I was shocked at this time. In the meanwhile, I got this film, but it is lost in my collection and I have no time to search it. Actually, I have them both. If I am wrong, if the sequence of Indians fighting IN the fort against US cavalry - at the OUTSIDE - is in TUMBLEWEED I hope an IMDb user will tell me my error.Thanks

Taking place just prior to the start of the civil war, Audie Murphy plays a junior army officer who is sympathetic to the plight of the local Navajo Indians and is a good friend of Navajo chief Menquito. A new commanding officer who is from the south is appointed to the post who convinced by Confederate agitators to stir up trouble with the Navajo Indians and send Audie and large column troops out on wild goose chase so the Confederates can gain control of the western territories. Of course Audie gets wind of nefarious plot and prevents further bloodshed.This film would be an otherwise routine "Indians unjustly forced to go on the warpath by scheming white men" story, had it not been for the Confederate conspiracy angle. Audie Murphy is well... Audie Murphy. If you like Audie Murphy (I do) you will like him here. If you don"t there is no reason why you should like him here. Robert Stirling and Joan Evans are unconvincing as Southerners. Their Southern accents vary through out the film. Film buffs will enjoy seeing many familiar faces in the cast (Bob Steele, Greg Palmer, Russell Johnson, Dennis Weaver and Ray Collins.)